Jeff Segal Off To Good 2012 Start With AIM Autosport Team FXDD Ferrari 458 Italia GT

13.01.2012: ---Grand Am After Strong Rolex 24 At Daytona Test
Former GRAND-AM Rolex Series Champion On Pace in Debuting Ferrari

---Grand Am After Strong Rolex 24 At Daytona Test

Former GRAND-AM Rolex Series Champion On Pace in Debuting Ferrari

Jeff Segal and AIM Autosport Team FXDD moved off to a quick start in the first official on-track event of the 2012 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series season last weekend at Daytona International Speedway (DIS), January 6 – 8, where the team’s new No. 69 Ferrari 458 Italia GT Grand Am was put through three solid days of testing at the Roar Before the Rolex 24.

Segal returns this season with his longtime teammate and 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Series GT co-champion Emil Assentato. They were joined at the Daytona test by Nick Longhi and Anthony Lazzaro who are once again entered as additional co-drivers on the No. 69 FXDD team for the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona later this month. The same four drivers also co-drove together in the last two runnings of Daytona’s grueling day-long race.

“We came away from the Roar Before the Rolex 24 test with even more confidence in the new car,” Segal said. “The team is learning what it takes to get the most out of the Ferrari every time we go out and this test was no exception. It was a good three days and we are looking for a solid performance in the race. All of the Ferraris look strong and we feel good about ours. I am not sure the other manufacturers are showing their hand quite yet, but it will all come out in qualifying. It’s going to be interesting.”

With the entry list at 45 cars and counting, this year’s Rolex 24 GT field could be the strongest in the event’s half-a-century history. Despite the heavy opposition, Segal believes his car, co-drivers and team are up to the challenge. The No. 69 clocked in sixth fastest overall in the GT ranks during the Rolex Roar test.

“The 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 is clearly going to be a huge event,” Segal said. “I saw more fans than ever before at the Rolex Roar test and it’s shaping up to be perhaps the best GT race in the event’s history. It’s obviously a race we want to win, and the support we have had for the effort from Ferrari and Michelotto has been nothing short of remarkable. The car gets faster and faster every time we go out, and all of our partners at AIM Autosport Team FXDD have been great to work with and fully focused on the mission.”

After racing Mazdas in the Rolex Series for the last five years, Segal’s move with Assentato to Ferrari this season takes him back to his racing roots. Segal began competing as a teenager in a Ferrari, is the youngest Ferrari Challenge race winner in series history and is also a current Ferrari Challenge driver coach. He even made his GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series debut at the wheel of a Ferrari 360GT back in 2003.

"Being a part of Ferrari's return to the Rolex 24 At Daytona is very special, and I'm thrilled to be able to share a car with such a strong team of drivers like Emil, Nick and Anthony,” Segal said. “With all of the unknowns we face entering a brand new car in one of the world's toughest races, our pooled experience will become one of our biggest assets.”

Segal and his teammates all have strong Ferrari competition experience. Each participated in the team’s initial shakedown run of the new 458 Italia in early November in Italy, in addition to running in December’s open test at Daytona.

“We have a strong relationship between all four of the drivers, having run this driver lineup in the last two runnings of the Rolex 24 at Daytona,” Segal said. “We know what to expect from each other, and we are all looking for the same things from the car as we prepare for the race. I'm confident that we have the right ingredients for success with our drivers, car and team."

Next up for Jeff Segal and AIM Autosport Team FXDD is the 50th Annual Rolex 24 At Daytona, which will be run January 26 – 29.

...During Day Two of The Roar Before the Rolex 24 At DaytonaNo. 17 FOAMETIX/Burtin Racing Porsche GT3 upholds second-place status in Saturday afternoon Daytona practice and fourth overall in the weekend FOAMETIX weiter >>

...In Preparation for 50th Annual Rolex 24The Krohn Racing team is elated to return with a “dream team” of drivers to the historic Daytona International Speedway this week for Daytona Test Days, January 6-8, 2012. The popular lime g weiter >>

.. and inaugural GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series North American Endurance ChampionshipClaudio Burtin and Martin Ragginger to be joined by Bryan Sellers, Jack Baldwin and Sebastian Asch for Rolex 24 openerFOAMETIX®/Burt weiter >>

Adobe Road Winery announced today in conjunction with Daytona International Speedway that it would provide a special 50th Rolex 24 At DAYTONA medallion labeled bottle to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the January 28-29 race. weiter >>

.... part of newly announced North American Endurance ChampionshipThe Glen Joins Daytona and Indianapolis as part of New GRAND-AM Championship The Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen is recognized as one of the most prestigious sports car races in the country and that re weiter >>

The Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season roars to a conclusion in Saturday’s EMCO Gears Classic presented by KeyBank. Seven drivers from five teams are in the running for the Grand Sport championship, while nine drivers from six teams are in contention for ST honors.If last year is any indication, anything can happen. Seth Thomas and Bill Heumann entered the fina weiter >>

VICTORY IN CANADIAN TIRE 200 GIVES SUNTRUST SWEEP OF BOTH 2011 GRAND-AM ROLEX SERIES RACES AT THE GLEN
Max Angelelli and Ricky Taylor Follow Up Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen Win with 2.517 Second Victory Over Scott Pruett and Memo Ro weiter >>

In a wild GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series qualifying session Friday evening at Watkins Glen International, one thing remained constant – Ricky Taylor’s pole streak. Taylor captured his sixth consecutive pole position, and will be joined by Memo Rojas on the front row when the green flag waves at 6 p.m. for Saturday’s Canadian Tire 200 at The Glen. weiter >>

Coming off a tremendous, fourth-place finish at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Simona de Silvestro had her sights set on another strong finish. She delivered on that goal, finishing ninth, after persevering through a trying race. weiter >>

Mike Forest scored his first podium of the season this weekend finishing third at the Porsche 250, round 3 of the 2011 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series championship. It was a strong effort for the Canadian driver and the Starwo weiter >>